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Hard Courts: Real Life on the Professional Tennis Tours
The new edition of this bestseller in hardcover features never-before-published, all-new inside info on the money, personalities and politics of Jimmy, Monica, Boris, Martina, et al. Now in paper.
- GenresSportsNonfiction
471 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 1991
33 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
John Feinstein
75 books586 followersJohn Feinstein was an American sportswriter, author, and sports commentator.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 11, 2015
One of the best books ever written about pro tennis...
April 1, 2008
I expected this book -- an examination of the 1990 pro tennis season -- to be dated, but though the names have changed the behind-the-scenes games certainly seem relevant. A fascinating and excellent look at the sport, the tournaments, the people and the game itself.
August 2, 2022
Om jeg ikke har fått spilt så mye tennis i sommer, har jeg lest desto mer. Det begynte med David Foster Wallace-samlingen som jeg kjøpte i London i vinter.
I sommerferien kom en bok jeg har sett omtalt i diverse tennisfora opp gjennom årene, og som jeg endelig fikk somlet meg til å kjøpe gjennom Ebay: Hard courts av John Feinstein. Den handler om tennisåret 1990.
Det finnes grovt sagt to grunner til at folk blir journalister. Journalister kan puttes i en av disse båsene.
1. De som lever for å finne nyhetene, avsløringene, scoopene og de store, viktige sakene som setter dagsorden. Nyhetsjegere.
2. De som synes selve formidlingen/formen er like tiltrekkende som det å breake nyheter. Estetikerne, de som finner nesten like stor glede i det å finne på en perfekt formulering som det å ta makta i kragen.
Dette er selvsagt en forenkling, men hei, hva kan du forvente av en tidligere journalist? De fleste journalister er en blanding av disse to, det er helt nødvendig for å kunne drive i yrket. Man må ha noe viktig å formidle, men også kunne presentere det i en form som engasjerer publikum.
Førsteinntrykket av John Feinstein er at han har mest av punkt 1 i seg. Feinstein er en gravejournalist som får folk til å åpne seg, og stoler på at stoffet han legger på bordet er så interessant at han ikke trenger å stase det opp med halloi og salutter.
Follow the money
Så vidt jeg vet har ikke Feinstein skrevet mye om tennis før eller etter denne boka. Det er ikke hans prosjekt å skrive poetiske beskrivelser av John McEnroes volleyer, her er ingen skarpe skildringer av tennis som fysisk aktivitet. I Hard courts følger Feinstein pengene, som journalistikklisjeen foreskriver.
Side opp og ned fylles med pengesummer som spiller sånn og sånn fikk for å spille den og den turneringen, og all politikken og dealingen som foregår utenfor banen. En smule monotont, men understreker Feinsteins budskap om at alt dreier seg om penger i profesjonell tennis.
Motvillige og grå toppspillere
I ettertid framstår 1990 som et overgangsår i tennisen. Ivan Lendl og Martina Navratilova – 80-tallets dominerende spillere – vant sine siste Grand Slam-turneringer. Pete Sampras og Monica Seles vant sin første. Faktisk var det åtte ulike spillere som vant Grand Slam-titler i 1990, det har ikke skjedd ofte.
Den største kontrasten fra 1990 til i 2019 er hvor grimt alt virker i 1990.
Ta herretennisen i 1990, det er temmelig traurige saker sett gjennom Feinsteins linse. Stefan Edberg og Mats Wilander var flinke og kjedelige. Ivan Lendl flink, kjedelig og pengeglad. Touren klamret seg til at en halvmotivert og -trent John McEnroe skulle kaste stjernestøv over det hele, seks år etter sin siste Grand Slam-tittel. Den mest sympatiske i Feinsteins bok er Boris Becker, som vurderte å legge opp i 1989 (!).
På de 29 årene som er gått, har Grand Slam-turneringene bare vokst i prestisje. I dag er det ingen av de beste spillerne som står over Grand Slam-turneringer med mindre de er skadet. Det var vanligere før, for eksempel droppet Lendl å spille i French Open, og Agassi spilte ikke Wimbledon. (Federer har stått over French Open noen år, men det er ikke helt sammenlignbart. Federer droppet ikke Grand Slam-turneringer da han var i 20-årene, han gjorde det da han ble eldre for å kunne ha en lengst mulig karriere.)
Den store amerikanske generasjonen, da de var unge
Pete Sampras Sports IllustratedI 1990 var den store amerikanske generasjonen på vei opp og fram, og det er gøy å lese ei bok som skildrer dem som tenåringer. Forfatterens sympati ligger hos Pete Sampras og Jim Courier, som konsentrerte seg om tennis og har bra folk rundt seg. Michael Chang og støtteapparatet hans får gjennomgå for alle sine særheter.
Det kan likevel ikke måle seg med det nådeløse portrettet av Andre Agassi og entouragen hans. Hard courts driter ut den unge Andre Agassi og folkene i hans nærhet så ofte og så grundig at jeg tviler på om Feinstein og Agassi er på talefot i dag. Lest opp mot Agassis selvbiografi, og dens skjønnmalende beskrivelser av de samme folkene som Feinstein henger ut, blir Hard courts fantastisk lesning.
Preludium til Capriatis fall
Sports Illustrated med Jennifer Capriati på forsidenSamtidig viser Feinstein at unge stjernespillere gjerne blir sånn fordi de kastes inn i et liv de ikke har forutsetninger for å takle.
En gjennomgangsfigur i boka er Jennifer Capriati, som (i likhet med meg) fylte 14 år i 1990. Hun var det store amerikanske håpet i en sport som var preget av vakuumet etter Chris Evert og en falmende Martina Navratilova. (Verdensener Steffi Graf skildres som enda mer mismodig enn Boris Becker, langt fra noe PR-trekkplaster for WTA-touren i 1990.)
Jennifer Capriati beit godt fra seg på touren, men Feinstein skildrer oppstyret rundt henne så presist at det er lett å forstå at hun fikk et sammenbrudd få år senere. Men igjen; alle – utenom Capriati selv – hadde mye å tjene på å kaste henne inn i manesjen selv om hun var altfor ung til det.
Brukbare spillere ble verdens beste trenere
29 år etter sesongen Hard courts handler om, er det interessant å se hvordan mange av folkene i topptennisens utkant fra 1990 som i dag er meget sentrale. Darren Cahill, Paul Annacone og Brad Gilbert var topp 100-spillere i 1990, men huskes i dag mer for alle Grand Slam-titlene de sto bak som trenere etter at spillerkarrieren tok slutt.
Feinsteins portrett av Brad Gilbert er noe av det morsomste i Hard courts. Gilbert skildres som ATP-tourens mest pengeglade spiller. På et tidspunkt får han en fin sum penger for å fly til en grusturnering i Østerrike, selv om «antall personer som ønsker å se Brad Gilbert spille på grus, får plass i en telefonkiosk» (fritt etter hukommelsen).
Mest interessant i ytterkantene
Det er vinnerne som skriver historien, og det er vinnerne som skriver selvbiografier. Sports-selvbiografier handler om utsikten fra toppen. En topp det tok oppofrelse å komme seg til, men en topp uansett. Hard courts´ store styrke er skildringen av alle som nesten kommer seg dit, eller strever for å gjøre tennis til en greit betalt jobb. De fleste klarer det ikke, enten de stanses av evner, skader eller tilfeldigheter.
I 2020 er det 30 år siden sesongen 1990. Det hadde vært nydelig om Feinstein igjen kunne hengt seg på tennisen og skrevet om det han finner. Jeg regner med at tilgangen til spillere, agenter, trenere og foreldre er blitt mye dårligere i årene som har gått siden Hard courts ble til.
Men en dyktig journalist som Feinstein hadde selvsagt klart å grave opp mye nytt materiale likevel.
I sommerferien kom en bok jeg har sett omtalt i diverse tennisfora opp gjennom årene, og som jeg endelig fikk somlet meg til å kjøpe gjennom Ebay: Hard courts av John Feinstein. Den handler om tennisåret 1990.
Det finnes grovt sagt to grunner til at folk blir journalister. Journalister kan puttes i en av disse båsene.
1. De som lever for å finne nyhetene, avsløringene, scoopene og de store, viktige sakene som setter dagsorden. Nyhetsjegere.
2. De som synes selve formidlingen/formen er like tiltrekkende som det å breake nyheter. Estetikerne, de som finner nesten like stor glede i det å finne på en perfekt formulering som det å ta makta i kragen.
Dette er selvsagt en forenkling, men hei, hva kan du forvente av en tidligere journalist? De fleste journalister er en blanding av disse to, det er helt nødvendig for å kunne drive i yrket. Man må ha noe viktig å formidle, men også kunne presentere det i en form som engasjerer publikum.
Førsteinntrykket av John Feinstein er at han har mest av punkt 1 i seg. Feinstein er en gravejournalist som får folk til å åpne seg, og stoler på at stoffet han legger på bordet er så interessant at han ikke trenger å stase det opp med halloi og salutter.
Follow the money
Så vidt jeg vet har ikke Feinstein skrevet mye om tennis før eller etter denne boka. Det er ikke hans prosjekt å skrive poetiske beskrivelser av John McEnroes volleyer, her er ingen skarpe skildringer av tennis som fysisk aktivitet. I Hard courts følger Feinstein pengene, som journalistikklisjeen foreskriver.
Side opp og ned fylles med pengesummer som spiller sånn og sånn fikk for å spille den og den turneringen, og all politikken og dealingen som foregår utenfor banen. En smule monotont, men understreker Feinsteins budskap om at alt dreier seg om penger i profesjonell tennis.
Motvillige og grå toppspillere
I ettertid framstår 1990 som et overgangsår i tennisen. Ivan Lendl og Martina Navratilova – 80-tallets dominerende spillere – vant sine siste Grand Slam-turneringer. Pete Sampras og Monica Seles vant sin første. Faktisk var det åtte ulike spillere som vant Grand Slam-titler i 1990, det har ikke skjedd ofte.
Den største kontrasten fra 1990 til i 2019 er hvor grimt alt virker i 1990.
Ta herretennisen i 1990, det er temmelig traurige saker sett gjennom Feinsteins linse. Stefan Edberg og Mats Wilander var flinke og kjedelige. Ivan Lendl flink, kjedelig og pengeglad. Touren klamret seg til at en halvmotivert og -trent John McEnroe skulle kaste stjernestøv over det hele, seks år etter sin siste Grand Slam-tittel. Den mest sympatiske i Feinsteins bok er Boris Becker, som vurderte å legge opp i 1989 (!).
På de 29 årene som er gått, har Grand Slam-turneringene bare vokst i prestisje. I dag er det ingen av de beste spillerne som står over Grand Slam-turneringer med mindre de er skadet. Det var vanligere før, for eksempel droppet Lendl å spille i French Open, og Agassi spilte ikke Wimbledon. (Federer har stått over French Open noen år, men det er ikke helt sammenlignbart. Federer droppet ikke Grand Slam-turneringer da han var i 20-årene, han gjorde det da han ble eldre for å kunne ha en lengst mulig karriere.)
Den store amerikanske generasjonen, da de var unge
Pete Sampras Sports IllustratedI 1990 var den store amerikanske generasjonen på vei opp og fram, og det er gøy å lese ei bok som skildrer dem som tenåringer. Forfatterens sympati ligger hos Pete Sampras og Jim Courier, som konsentrerte seg om tennis og har bra folk rundt seg. Michael Chang og støtteapparatet hans får gjennomgå for alle sine særheter.
Det kan likevel ikke måle seg med det nådeløse portrettet av Andre Agassi og entouragen hans. Hard courts driter ut den unge Andre Agassi og folkene i hans nærhet så ofte og så grundig at jeg tviler på om Feinstein og Agassi er på talefot i dag. Lest opp mot Agassis selvbiografi, og dens skjønnmalende beskrivelser av de samme folkene som Feinstein henger ut, blir Hard courts fantastisk lesning.
Preludium til Capriatis fall
Sports Illustrated med Jennifer Capriati på forsidenSamtidig viser Feinstein at unge stjernespillere gjerne blir sånn fordi de kastes inn i et liv de ikke har forutsetninger for å takle.
En gjennomgangsfigur i boka er Jennifer Capriati, som (i likhet med meg) fylte 14 år i 1990. Hun var det store amerikanske håpet i en sport som var preget av vakuumet etter Chris Evert og en falmende Martina Navratilova. (Verdensener Steffi Graf skildres som enda mer mismodig enn Boris Becker, langt fra noe PR-trekkplaster for WTA-touren i 1990.)
Jennifer Capriati beit godt fra seg på touren, men Feinstein skildrer oppstyret rundt henne så presist at det er lett å forstå at hun fikk et sammenbrudd få år senere. Men igjen; alle – utenom Capriati selv – hadde mye å tjene på å kaste henne inn i manesjen selv om hun var altfor ung til det.
Brukbare spillere ble verdens beste trenere
29 år etter sesongen Hard courts handler om, er det interessant å se hvordan mange av folkene i topptennisens utkant fra 1990 som i dag er meget sentrale. Darren Cahill, Paul Annacone og Brad Gilbert var topp 100-spillere i 1990, men huskes i dag mer for alle Grand Slam-titlene de sto bak som trenere etter at spillerkarrieren tok slutt.
Feinsteins portrett av Brad Gilbert er noe av det morsomste i Hard courts. Gilbert skildres som ATP-tourens mest pengeglade spiller. På et tidspunkt får han en fin sum penger for å fly til en grusturnering i Østerrike, selv om «antall personer som ønsker å se Brad Gilbert spille på grus, får plass i en telefonkiosk» (fritt etter hukommelsen).
Mest interessant i ytterkantene
Det er vinnerne som skriver historien, og det er vinnerne som skriver selvbiografier. Sports-selvbiografier handler om utsikten fra toppen. En topp det tok oppofrelse å komme seg til, men en topp uansett. Hard courts´ store styrke er skildringen av alle som nesten kommer seg dit, eller strever for å gjøre tennis til en greit betalt jobb. De fleste klarer det ikke, enten de stanses av evner, skader eller tilfeldigheter.
I 2020 er det 30 år siden sesongen 1990. Det hadde vært nydelig om Feinstein igjen kunne hengt seg på tennisen og skrevet om det han finner. Jeg regner med at tilgangen til spillere, agenter, trenere og foreldre er blitt mye dårligere i årene som har gått siden Hard courts ble til.
Men en dyktig journalist som Feinstein hadde selvsagt klart å grave opp mye nytt materiale likevel.
August 19, 2020
I love reading John Feinstein books and this was my 30th I've read of his. I think that's all of them up to date. This one was his fourth book he ever wrote and first not basketball-related. It's a story of life on the men and women's tennis tour during the year 1990. Feinstein is so good at getting the reader inside the head of people involved in the book and you either love those people more or you hate them more. The tennis players in this book, you actually don't like the majority of them. Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Martina Natrilova, Chris Evert, Jim Courier, Zina Garrison, Monica Seles, Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf you like a little, but you really kind of feel Boris Becker, John McEnroe, Michael Chang (but mostly his family), Jennifer Capriati's family (maybe not her though) you don't like and then you absolutely hate Andre Agassi. The four Grand Slam events during the year are discussed along with what is going on in many players lives during the year. Decent book, but obviously a little outdated. Nice to go back in time and relive that year though.
June 25, 2020
Wow. Fascinating. John Feinstein’s Hard Courts was written long ago, yet still offers amazing insights. This book follows the pro tennis circuit in a glimpse of time - the year 1990. The names are still legends: Agassi, Connors, McEnroe, Graf, Seles, Evert, Navratilova. This book chronicles the highs and lows of their competitive play. Also covered are the journeymen - those players struggling to survive, the talent reps, the coaches, the tennis officials and umpires, the sponsors and television contracts, the entourages. It’s an comprehensive look at tennis as an ever evolving sport and business. The 30 year gap between then and now - with some built-in knowledge and some hindsight - makes it all the more interesting as a reference.
July 12, 2021
Good read. Interesting insight into how the pros deal with pressure; winning is the real motivating force. Also interesting to learn more about the players from this generation. I’d love to see an updated version for the current generation of players.
June 12, 2022
A masterpiece
November 11, 2013
The story of the 1990 Tennis tour. A forgettable read, truly a summer beach book.
The writing of the book was disappointing. I had heard of this Feinstein guy, I may have even read of one of his previous books. He is a Duke guy, who has made a living writing semi-controversial insider looks at the sports leagues he is familiar with (PGA tour, ACC basketball, college hoops) He also wrote the Punch, creating some 300 pages about the effect this punch had on the NBA, Rudy Tomjanovich and Kermit Washington… sounds like a lot of armchair psychology, and that is how he writes this book too. Putting his slant on things, which are really based without fact. Kind of like a sports gossip mag book. So, yes I was overall disappointed, but the guy wrote this when he was 33, not too bad I guess for a life accomplishment.
Looking up his name on Wiki (a popular impulse I felt while reading this book - to find out what all the old names are doing now) I see he has jumped onto Sports radio, which is fine – but far away from the life of a writer. He is not “a writer”, but has made his living (and probably a good one) talking (this might be a better way to describe his writing style) in a linear fashion about the ATP tour (or whatever they call it)
The worst part of the book is when he goes into exhaustive detail about the institutions that make up tennis. The best part of the book - Some of the character portraits he reveals… I didn’t know Boris Becker was plagued by such confusion about life, Ivan Lendl was a mechanical capitalist, and had forgotten the Andre Agassi was a prima donna, even as I have lived thru the Agassi years to its conclusion.
However, I was surprised by how much I did remember, almost all the players – some of the tournaments themselves, and a few of the major storylines… Considering this is 23 years in the past. Which points to the fact that as a teenager (I’d have been 13/14 in 1990) I watched way too much Sportscenter
Inexplicably, for a published novel, there are passages which are repeated more than once. This has to be one of the most annoying things when you read - to receive the same information you had read 20 pages ago… Its like someone forgot to edit. But looking at it from a a writer's perspective, How could a book be published with these mistakes?
What else did I enjoy about this book? Not much… The book lends a few insights into what makes tennis players great – early exposure to the game and maniacal parents - not a very pretty picture. Some awareness of tennis strokes, the story of Tirioc (the wealthy Romanian), Derek Rostagno and Joakhim Noah’s father (Yannick)… sadly Rostagno the free-spirit is now a lawyer. Yannick is a singer. With a book like this and the internet searches, you can get a brief sketch on a number of biographies helping me to make some sense of what you want to do with your life. It serves as a good reminder that nothing is static, change is always coming and to really live for what we want to do with our lives.
The writing of the book was disappointing. I had heard of this Feinstein guy, I may have even read of one of his previous books. He is a Duke guy, who has made a living writing semi-controversial insider looks at the sports leagues he is familiar with (PGA tour, ACC basketball, college hoops) He also wrote the Punch, creating some 300 pages about the effect this punch had on the NBA, Rudy Tomjanovich and Kermit Washington… sounds like a lot of armchair psychology, and that is how he writes this book too. Putting his slant on things, which are really based without fact. Kind of like a sports gossip mag book. So, yes I was overall disappointed, but the guy wrote this when he was 33, not too bad I guess for a life accomplishment.
Looking up his name on Wiki (a popular impulse I felt while reading this book - to find out what all the old names are doing now) I see he has jumped onto Sports radio, which is fine – but far away from the life of a writer. He is not “a writer”, but has made his living (and probably a good one) talking (this might be a better way to describe his writing style) in a linear fashion about the ATP tour (or whatever they call it)
The worst part of the book is when he goes into exhaustive detail about the institutions that make up tennis. The best part of the book - Some of the character portraits he reveals… I didn’t know Boris Becker was plagued by such confusion about life, Ivan Lendl was a mechanical capitalist, and had forgotten the Andre Agassi was a prima donna, even as I have lived thru the Agassi years to its conclusion.
However, I was surprised by how much I did remember, almost all the players – some of the tournaments themselves, and a few of the major storylines… Considering this is 23 years in the past. Which points to the fact that as a teenager (I’d have been 13/14 in 1990) I watched way too much Sportscenter
Inexplicably, for a published novel, there are passages which are repeated more than once. This has to be one of the most annoying things when you read - to receive the same information you had read 20 pages ago… Its like someone forgot to edit. But looking at it from a a writer's perspective, How could a book be published with these mistakes?
What else did I enjoy about this book? Not much… The book lends a few insights into what makes tennis players great – early exposure to the game and maniacal parents - not a very pretty picture. Some awareness of tennis strokes, the story of Tirioc (the wealthy Romanian), Derek Rostagno and Joakhim Noah’s father (Yannick)… sadly Rostagno the free-spirit is now a lawyer. Yannick is a singer. With a book like this and the internet searches, you can get a brief sketch on a number of biographies helping me to make some sense of what you want to do with your life. It serves as a good reminder that nothing is static, change is always coming and to really live for what we want to do with our lives.
September 14, 2011
This is a really good look at the world of the professional tennis tour. Other than the Grand Slams, tennis is pretty much off the radar the rest of the year, and this provides a nice picture of the entire tour.
What helps to elevate this book is the fact that 1990 was such a turning point for the sport even though no one knew it at the time. We now know what happens to Jennifer Capriati (this was her first year on the tour as a brand new 14 year old). We know what Pete Sampras goes on to become. We know perhaps more than we ever WANTED to know about Andre Agassi. It's cool to have all the inside views on these players before they make their real mark on the sport, for better or worse. There's even a small shout out to 12 year old Venus Williams!
All encompassing, this book highlights not only the stars but the lower ranks of players fighting to survive another year financially. It looks at tournament directors, umpires, agents, stage parents, the media and big money sponsors. I'd recommend it to any tennis fan.
What helps to elevate this book is the fact that 1990 was such a turning point for the sport even though no one knew it at the time. We now know what happens to Jennifer Capriati (this was her first year on the tour as a brand new 14 year old). We know what Pete Sampras goes on to become. We know perhaps more than we ever WANTED to know about Andre Agassi. It's cool to have all the inside views on these players before they make their real mark on the sport, for better or worse. There's even a small shout out to 12 year old Venus Williams!
All encompassing, this book highlights not only the stars but the lower ranks of players fighting to survive another year financially. It looks at tournament directors, umpires, agents, stage parents, the media and big money sponsors. I'd recommend it to any tennis fan.
October 13, 2012
Hard Courts is a difficult book to rate/review. For the tennis fan, it provides an excellent look inside the world of professional tennis, and a unique perspective on the players, particularly several young ones whose trajectory following the period (1990) covered by the book is well-known. I also found having an insider view on the tennis governing organizations, tournaments, agents and others not usually covered by the tennis press (or by the many player autobiographies I've read) quite interesting. That said, I cannot say that I enjoyed reading the book. It is long and at times an onerous read -- the writing is incredibly detailed and would have benefitted from some editing. Conceptually, I did like the way the book chronologically covered a year on the tour but by the time I got to the Davis Cup, I was just reading to get to the end.
December 29, 2013
To read about the 1990 professional tennis tour in 2013 is like sitting thru history class. Some of the things I do remember and some I don't. Still it was interesting to read about Jennifer Capriati's beginnings, before the drug problems and then the return after the drug problems. Having read Andre Agassi's autobiography, it was interesting to get another point of view from that time period. I am a tennis fan so I'm a bit lenient on my grade of this book. Some people may find the chapters about agents and managers and the people who run some of the tournaments dull. I do wonder how much has changed concerning payments to players for appearing in tournaments and exhibition matches. Overall a fun read and a nice trip down memory lane.
June 22, 2012
I love John Feinstein, but I was pretty disappointed in this book. It's too long, by at least 60 pages. And he tells the same stories (with some of the same quotes!) over and over. It's weird to be reading a book and think, Hey John, you already told that story when we talked about the French Open. Hey John, you just told that story 40 pages ago.
Maybe a failing of the editor? But I also sense that maybe Feinstein just loves tennis too much to be a good writer about it. As far as I know, this is his only tennis book, and I'm not surprised.
Maybe a failing of the editor? But I also sense that maybe Feinstein just loves tennis too much to be a good writer about it. As far as I know, this is his only tennis book, and I'm not surprised.
March 22, 2010
I do love sports books, especially those that take you through a season or with a team. And this book certainly does that. It focuses on the early 90s when McEnroe was still around, Agassi was nothing but a spoiled brat and Sampras was just beginning to make a name for himself. Since I got into tennis around this time, I found it particularly interesting. A bit long at times, but a nice rendering of both the stars' lives and the ones just trying to make a living playing a game.
March 8, 2010
If you are a tennis fan and like behind the scenes reporting like John Feinstein does it, you should enjoy this book. The professional tennis scene is covered during the late 80's and early 90's. You learn about various players personalities, the agents,the tournaments, the political infighting,etc.
July 22, 2010
This is an interesting take on a year on the tennis tour, but Feinstein's approach is not as successful with this sport as it was with some of his other books. Also, Feinstein gives obviously preferential treatment to the people who took the time to talk with him.
The book is also quite dated, but it is a valuable look at the inner workings of the tennis tour in the late 80's/early 90's.
The book is also quite dated, but it is a valuable look at the inner workings of the tennis tour in the late 80's/early 90's.
October 22, 2013
A non-fiction account of a year on the men’s and women’s professional tennis tour, examining the characters that play, the politics behind the tour’s management, and the results of the tournaments.
Interesting; kind of confined by the season into somewhat sporadic story-telling, but for anyone vaguely interested in the tennis tour it is worth reading for the background.
Interesting; kind of confined by the season into somewhat sporadic story-telling, but for anyone vaguely interested in the tennis tour it is worth reading for the background.
August 8, 2015
I'm stuck with this book, which I only bought because I loved his Bobby Knight book, even though it tested my actual interest in tennis, a sport of which I am a casual fan when the major tournaments are at play.
March 25, 2007
Unfortunately the book is dated now, but for tennis fans it provides a good look at the inside of the tour.
November 17, 2012
...another insider book, tennis this time...pretty amazing when you know what goes on behind the curtain...
April 20, 2013
One of my favorite reads ever. Loved the pacing, loved the mix of personality and scenery and behind-the-scenes underbelly. Exhaustive but a lot of fun, always recommend it first to any tennis fan.
September 7, 2016
I read this in the early 90s when I was around 14. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews